Larry Walker for Matt Williams Deal On

[Chisoxfn]

The Dbacks will deal Williams, David Delluci, Erubiel Durazo, and Bret Printz in return for Larry Walker.

 

At first I thought this would be a horrible trade by the Rockies, but they will save a lot of money in contracts and get a great youngster in Erubiel Durazo that should put up monster numbers playing left field for the Rockies next year.

 

If the Rocks decide Erubiel can't play outfield, then I would definately talk to them about trying to pick up Durazo to be a left handed hitting DH for the Sox or outfielder. Remember its a big difference covering all the ground in Coors compared to Comiskey.

 

The deal isn't 100% yet as Walker and Williams will have to waive their no trade clauses.

[witesoxfan]

Durazo would be good. I remember Tony Gwynn breaking his swing down(and Tony Gwynn would probably know a thing or two about how to swing a baseball bat ) and he actually compared Durazo as a hitter to Barry Bonds. Durazo hits for power, he has a good eye at the plate, and he's left-handed. This would be a pretty good move for the Sox.

 

This would work wonders if Lee was traded....that would open a spot up in left field for him, and he can't be worse than Lee in LF, can he?

[Chisoxfn]

No, he'll be the same caliber defensive player, except he'll provide a left handed bat and I guarantee if he stayed healthy he'd put up at least similar numbers to Lee.

 

Erubiel has a sweet stroke and has tremendous power. He's one of those guys on the verge of a .300 avg with 30-35hr's.

[Mr. Showtime]

Originally posted by Chisoxfn

Erubiel has a sweet stroke and has tremendous power.  He's one of those guys on the verge of a .300 avg with 30-35hr's.

 

I don't know about this deal.

 

All I know is that in about 2 years Arizona is gonna be real bad.

 

They better win now, Durazo is going to put up huge numbers in Coors. Helton and Durazo back-to-back, bring it.

[witesoxfan]

Could put up those numbers? He would put up those numbers if he stayed healthy. In 222 at-bats, he had a .260ish average with 16 homers and 48 RBI. He also had 49 walks and 60 K's. Those are some pretty good numbers, and would be much better than Lee's numbers. The fact that he hasn't even developed into the player he could be is what I like the most too. I feel this is a guy that could hit .300 with 45 bombs and 120 RBI on a regular basis for us if we were to trade for him. If we got him we would most certainly be in a good situation. We would have Carlos Lee available through trade, and I bet alot of teams are salivating to have a bat like Carlos's in their lineup, especially if he can put up the numbers he did this year over a full year....that translates to about a .280 35 110 season...the things that don't show up in stats, however, are the fact that he is a bonehead baserunner and that he plays mediocre defense, has limited range, and is really a dumb ballplayer. If he played smarter, he would be an untouchable player....he could put up huge numbers, numbers much like Maggs. Something tells me Maggs is as close to untouchable as they come.

[witesoxfan]

Originally posted by Mr. Showtime

I don't know about this deal. 

 

All I know is that in about 2 years Arizona is gonna be real bad.

 

They better win now, Durazo is going to put up huge numbers in Coors. Helton and Durazo back-to-back, bring it.

 

Holy s***....you got Helton and Durazo, back-to-back, plus if Charles Johnson returns to his 2000 form, Preston Wilson returns to his 2000 form, Matt Williams returns to decent form, Jack Cust playing well and up to his potential, and of course, the ever powerful Greg Norton....the Rockies could return to the form that got them their one and only playoff birth. That's kinda the way you have to play in Colorado....with a whole s***load of power up and down the lineup.

 

1. Uribe - SS

2. Wilson - CF

3. Helton - 1B

4. Durazo - RF

5. Cust - LF

6. Johnson - C

7. Williams - 3B

8. Ortiz/Ozuna - 2B

9. Pitcher

 

As I said...power up and down the lineup. Everyone from 2-7 could hit 25 homers, and 1 & 8 are used to get on base. The pitcher has to bat, otherwise they would be THE perfect AL team.

 

However, they are loaded with left-handed power....they wouldn't mind giving up one of Cust or Durazo for some pitching....afterall, they also have Payton and Kabler who are in need of a job. I would actually expect one of Cusst or Durazo to be gone by the end of December, probably during the Winter Meetings. It wouldn't be a bad thing to get either one of them for say Ginter and Biddle, or maybe they'd take Corwin Malone.

[Chisoxfn]

I actually think you could use John Adkins as bait for the Rockies. The Rockies new philosphy is pickup power pitchers and Adkins fits that ball. Give them Adkins and Ginter and see what that gets ya, I bet it could get you Kapler, Durazo or Cust.

[witesoxfan]

That was my theory earlier in the year when I got to thinking about it. It would make no sense to bring in a pitcher with a big breaking ball who can barely top 90 on the radar gun....a pitcher like Barry Zito may not fare as well in Coors as say a Randy Johnson. Both are great lefties, but Coors would put that type of effect on Zito that he would pitch poorly. If they both played in Florida, where there is a lot of heavy, humid air where the ball would stay in the ballpark, I would rather have a Zito over a Johnson, because Johnson would give up the long ball more often, though neither would give up a lot of homers.

 

I bet we could get Durazo for just Joe Valentine, but I know that HSC would be against that...shes pretty high on Valentine.

[Chisoxfn]

I'd swing the deal, but I hate thinking of so many mock trades cause I know its not likely because they Sox don't seem like a team that likes to do a whole lot of trading or at least don't like trading a couple guys just to fill those same positions back up.

 

We have so many relievers in the minors that I'd be willing to pretty much give any one of them up.

[witesoxfan]

I'll have to ask baggio personally sometime about why he is so down on our bullpen...I personally think next year we will have one of the best bullpens in the AL. The only problem we have is the fact that no one knows what they are supposed to do, and that is a problem of managment, not the pitchers themselves. Are the 6 bullpen pitchers (because I believe that's all we will need next year) going to have a meeting and determine who does what? No...that is the job of the manager and pitching coach.

 

With Glover, Osuna, Foulke, Marte, Wunsch, Ginter, Biddle and Porzio, I believe 3-4 of them have to be sent away....Foulke will be if he has to be used as a middle reliever because the fact remains that he is too expensive to be doing that. However, I believe he will be the closer again next year. I am thinking we have got to get rid of Osuna...not only will he be making around $3 million, but he is not that great of a pitcher. He does have some pop on his fastball...maybe the Rockies would take him and someone else for Durazo? Ginter can be moved as well in that deal....that opens up two spots. Porzio is a decent pitcher, and maybe we could get a decent prospect for him, so I think he needs to go to a team that needs a lefty out of the pen. How about Tampa Bay? That leaves us with 1 open spot for another pitcher to come up, and it should be between Almonte, Majewski and Valentine...Biddle, Wunsch, Glover or Foulke could be moved as well, and if the price is right, Marte too.

 

If I had to make aa contreversial prediction right now, I would bet that by 2005 we don't have any of the pitchers we have in our bullpen now, and the only person I would say I have the most amount of doubt leaving would be whoever takes over the closer's job, whether it be Foulke or Marte. With Ring, Almonte, Valentine, Majewski, Munoz and Adkins, we have a full bullpen and it would be a damn good one too. It wouldn't be great, but I think it could be in the top 5 in the league and top 10 in the majors...a great bullpen is in the top 3 in the league and the top 5 in the majors.

 

As you said....we have bullpen prospects up the butt. I could trade any of them.

[Chisoxfn]

Ya, the Sox are slowly going to rebuild their bullpen with young pitchers and I think its KW's goal to constantly move in new pitchers over the years. Kind of like bring a new rookie in each year and rebuild the bullpen and then when they are due for big pay days you ship them off and the other guys that have been their a while will be asked to step up.

 

Still, we got a great pen or it looks like that to me. Marte, Osuna, Glover are great set up man and Foulke is a premier closer, imo. Then you have Biddle and a couple other guys their and you haven't even touched Valentine, Almonte, Ring, Sanders, Almonte, etc.